Graduate FAQ

General Information

The School of Social Work at Loyola is a CSWE accredited program which emphasizes the development of direct practice techniques and leadership-oriented skills to be applied in a variety of settings including agencies, hospitals, private practice, non-profits, administrative roles, and schools. This professional degree program prepares you to sit for the LSW/LCSW licensing exams.

We offer study abroad opportunities for our students and alumni for MSW credit and CEU/professional development credit. Options include studying in China, Italy, or India. An internship opportunity is available in Mexico. For more information, visit our Study Abroad page.

There are two internships required as part of the MSW to meet our accreditation requirements set by the Council on Social Work Education. The first is 480 hours and the second is 720 hours. These placements are incorporated into your schedule with the help of our field placement advisors. Advanced standing students only complete the 2nd level internship. Internships are located throughout the Chicagoland area.

Advanced Standing is an accelerated MSW program for students who hold a BSW from an accredited school of social work and qualify for admission. It requires completion of 34 credits, which includes an internship. Program completion takes 10 months. This option only begins in July, and you apply to the Summer II term.

Loyola is proud to promote a partnership with Carthage College in Kenosha, WI where students living in Wisconsin or near the Wisconsin border may complete the MSW degree with Loyola by attending Saturday classes held at Carthage. For more specific information on this program, contact Craig Perri at cperri@luc.edu.

For those interested in participating in research, our three Institutes of Learning continuously have opportunities. Also, we have a student-run organization called SSWSO, a Social Work student-only publication called Praxis, a men's group, and a Multicultural Affairs Resource Committee. Within Loyola's larger community, there are always community building and social events going on.

Every MSW student is required to have completed a statistics course within the past four years with a grade of "C" or better at the start term of their MSW program. Students who do not meet this requirement at the point of admission must fulfill the requirement by the end of their start term. We offer an online statistics course for admitted MSW students to take prior to or during their start term. For more information on our online statistics option for admitted MSW students, visit http://www.luc.edu/socialwork/admission/onlinestatistics/.

Typically, admitted students have a GPA of at least a 3.0 from their higher education career. To qualify for our advanced standing program, you must have at least a 3.0 overall and a 3.25 minimum in your social work classes.

Application Process

By applying online, you can save your information and log in later with a username and password. Once all sections are complete, click "Submit" and the application will be immediately sent to the processing office. You also may return to the application after submission to upload additional documents.

If you are applying to the JVC Magis Program, you must still follow the regular requirements of your degree program as well as complete the requirements of the Magis Program. For more information on the Magis program application requirements, you may contact Lee Hubbel at lhubbel@luc.edu.

Yes. It is considered academic fraud if you neglect to list all institutions where you took courses for credit. If you audited a class or took a class for no credit, it is not necessary to list that institution.

Letters of recommendation should come from academic, professional, or volunteer related sources. A diverse set is recommended, but it is always best to choose the people that know you best. If you graduated less than a few years ago, it is encouraged to include an academic reference such as a professor.

The School of Social Work has a priority scholarship deadline March 1st for the Summer and Fall start terms and an October 1st priority deadline for the Spring start term. Final deadlines are July 1st for Fall, May 1st for Summer, and November 1st for Spring.

If you wish to specialize in school social work, you will need to take and pass the SW Content Area Exam and the Test of Academic Proficiency. Information and registration can be found at http://www.icts.nesinc.com/. If you are an advanced standing applicant, you will need to have these scores in no later than March of your Summer start term in order to get you placed in a school internship.